Category Archives: Texas

Texas weather rarely stabilizes for longer than a week and that can do a number on your car. One thing many auto owners fear most is water damage. Water damage can hide anywhere in the vehicle and many drivers don’t know how to find it. Here’s how to spot water damage in a car from us here at Bates Nissan!

Feel – When examining the interior for water damage after the Texas weather has taken its toll, be sure to look at and feel the carpet, upholstery, and panels for dampness. Any sign of wetness means water da
mage isn’t far off. Ask a professional how to fix the problem.

Listen – Start the engine and listen closely. If you hear any strange noises, make a note of it and take it to a professional right away. Pay special attention to important parts like the starter, power steering unit, and serpentine belt. If any of those parts suffer significant damage, the car won’t run.

Look – Check the headlights and taillights for moisture and small amounts of water. Replace the bulbs accordingly. While you’re at it, check out the air filter as well. If it’s wet, replace it and change the oil for good measure.

Moving house is a gigantic task that no one can handle alone, which has ultimately resulted in moving services like Uhaul. While the abundance of innovative technology has changed how we find homes, the actual process of moving still remains an old art form. Here at Bates Nissan, we have some helpful moving tips to help you save money and move easier!

Moving Boxes – Rather than dump a good amount of money on boxes to pack your stuff in, check out places that usually have boxes in bulk. Craigslist, grocery stores, warehouses, and supermarkets usually have excess boxes they just throw away. Taking a few minutes to talk to a manager or supervisor could save you a couple bucks by the time you’re done moving.

First-Night Box – Odds are that once you’ve arrived at your new home, you’ll be too tired to unpack everything. That’s why packing a first-night box could come in handy. Unpacking a single box to get your clothes and coffee maker is easier than unpacking many boxes.

Plastic Wrap – Believe it or not, unloading your dresser isn’t necessary to move. In the interest of saving time, use plastic wrap to keep the drawers shut when moving. Not only will you save time packing, you’ll save time unpacking as well!

Rent the Perfect Vehicle for Moving– Whether you’re moving across town or across the country, having the right vehicle for moving is important. Rent a van or truck from Uhaul or through the Hertz rental car company to guarantee that you will have enough room to pack all of your moving boxes and furniture.

The Texas State Parks are some of the finest in the country. The parks are pristine and offer lots of opportunity for activity.

Mother Neff State Park

Location: Moody

Highlights: This park lies along the Leon River. A picnic on the bank of the river makes for a truly beautiful and memorable experience. The park also features 5 miles of hiking trails.

Colorado Bend State Park

Location: Bend

Highlights: Almost no other park offers the diversity that Colorado Bend State Park does. You can do everything from mountain biking to exploring caves to jetting your boat on Lake Buchanan to simply admiring the surrounding canyons.

Inks Lake State Park

Location: Burnet

Highlights: Nowhere else can you better appreciate the beauty of Texas Hill Country than at Inks Lake State Park. The gorgeous lake offers opportunities to swim, scuba dive, fish and ski.

Longhorn Cavern State Park

Location: Burnet

Highlights: A 1.25 mile round trip through the cavern is a stunning experience. Take a guided tour for a more enhanced experience.

There is plenty to do at these four great Texas State Parks. Of course, you can also just simply pay a visit, take it easy and marvel at the unique and diverse beauty found in this great state. Make sure you have a reliable car to get you to and from these state parks. Let us know which Texas State Park is your favorite and why!

If you find yourself in our area, that means you’re just a short drive away from Waco, Texas – where you’ll find the brand new Magnolia Market, operated by the hosts of HGTV’s Fixer Uppers.

Magnolia Market at the Silos is home to tons of shops, food trucks, and various activities, ideal for a personal stroll or a family event. If you’re looking to shop or if you’re looking to relax, the Magnolia Market is for you.

The Market is mostly focused on home design, with the goal of making you excited about your home. You are sure to find something in one of the market’s many shops that will inspire you.

And in between shops or for your little ones, Magnolia Market is home to a huge lawn with a long list of games for families and friends, such as cornhole, football, and potato sack races.

Lastly, if you’re stopping by, don’t forget to bring water and sunscreen!

The Texas Truck Rodeo took place outside San Antonio this year in the state with the most truck drivers in the US, and the new diesel Titan XD outstripped every other truck in terms of efficiency, power, handling, and a variety of other criteria.

The winning Titan XD has a 5-liter V8 turbo-diesel engine, which won the best powertrain award in addition to helping the Titan win the Truck of Texas award. Two other Titans also won the award, including the Pro-4X, which took the best off-road category, and the Titan XD Platinum Reserve, which won best luxury pickup.

Every year, Trunk or Treat events are becoming more and more popular. These events are held as an alternative to the traditional door-to-door trick or treating. They are usually hosted by a church, school, or other community organization and offer a safe environment for children to fully enjoy Halloween.

The key to a great trunk or treat event is good decorations and costumes. Here are a few great suggestions on how to decorate your car for a trunk or treat.

Pick a cohesive theme. Choose a theme that your whole family and car can work with, for example, your family could dress up as characters from The Wizard of Oz and the trunk of your car can be the yellow brick road, Munchkinland, or The Emerald City.

Choose a vehicle with a spacious cargo area. The more room you have for decorations, the better. If you have a vehicle with a hatch opening, like a minivan, these are ideal, since you can hang overhead decorations from the hatch.

Use kid-friendly decorations. Most trunk or treat events are geared towards young children—think elementary school age—and scary decorations are not allowed. If you use monsters, try to avoid things that are overly gory and spooky.

Incorporate games. To make the event even more fun for kids, try to add some kind of game or activity that the kids have to try before they get their candy, like “I Spy” (they have to find hidden objects in your decorations) or a fishing game with magnetic fishing poles.

Get the kids dressed up and join us at Bates Nissan this Halloween, Saturday, October 31st, from 12-4pm to trick or treat with us at Bates Nissan! Our friendly staff will be dressed up like pirates, handing out lots of delicious treasures! Treat the kids to some candy and treat the adults to some fun test drives in a new Nissan, such as the luxurious 2016 Nissan Maxima! We can’t wait to see you there!

Chapter 147 of the Disabled American Veterans needs your help, with a small gesture that will make a big difference: They need about 2,000 American flags to decorate the graves of those buried at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery.

These small flags are a mere 58 cents each, making it incredibly easy for anyone to pitch in and help out. It doesn’t seem like much, but in mass quantities, 58 cents adds up quickly. You can help save the veterans group more than $1,000.

The veterans group has been historically purchasing the flags and then re-using them until they wear out, but recently, cemetery growth has caused a high demand that’s become too difficult for the group to bear on its own.

If you’d like to help purchase flags for veterans’ graves, you can send a check, made out to DAV Chapter 147 at P.O. Box 1149, Killeen, TX, 76540, and you can call Randy Brumagim at (254) 681-4515 for more information.